The Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ (HtE) Demonstration and Evaluation Project was a 10-year study (taken on by the MDRC) that evaluated strategies aimed at improving employment and other outcomes for groups who face serious barriers to employment. The Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ was the first comprehensive attempt to understand the diverse low-income population and to test interventions aimed at the most common barriers to this population's employment. The HtE demonstration was designed to assess ways to boost employ... (more info)

The Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ (HtE) Demonstration and Evaluation Project was a 10-year study (taken on by the MDRC) that evaluated strategies aimed at improving employment and other outcomes for groups who face serious barriers to employment. The Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ was the first comprehensive attempt to understand the diverse low-income population and to test interventions aimed at the most common barriers to this population's employment. The HtE demonstration was designed to assess ways to boost employment, reduce welfare receipt, and promote well-being in low-income populations. This study analyzed the effectiveness of the Rhode Island "Working toward Wellness" (WTW) program, a one-year program that provided telephonic care management to depressed parents receiving Medicaid in Rhode Island. The Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self Report (QIDS-SR) questionnaire was administered to parents in order to identify those with major depression. All consenting parents who were found to have major depression were then assigned to the study. The Working Toward Wellness full research sample consisted of 499 individuals randomly assigned between November 2004 and October 2006 (245 members in the program group and 254 in the control group). The research team followed the two groups for three years using surveys. All 400 sample members completed a baseline survey at random assignment, providing basic demographic information, data on depression, other health outcomes, employment, participation in outreach programs, receipt of behavioral health services, and material hardship prior to enrollment in the study. Three follow up surveys were collected at the sixth month, eighteenth month, and thirty-sixth month marks. The WTW 6, 18, and 36 month reports include data from surveys administered to parents and children; however, only measures used in the adult/parent analysis are included due to restrictions. Care managers recorded information on attempted and completed calls with 230 members in the program group. Data was collected on respondent's general health, depression scores and treatments, substance abuse, work performance and attendance, as well as wages and income. Demographic information includes age, race, marital status, education, employment status, individual and household monthly income, as well as social security and disability status.

Access Notes

Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions.
Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have
access to these data files.

This study is provided by ICPSR.
ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis
for a diverse and expanding social science research community.

Please refer to these related data collections featuring the sites that participated in the Hard-to-Employ project: ICPSR 33783, CENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES (CEO) NEW YORK CITY; ICPSR 33784, ENHANCED SERVICES FOR THE HARD-TO-EMPLOY DEMONSTRATION AND EVALUATION PROJECT, PHILADELPHIA, PA; ICPSR 33801, KANSAS AND MISSOURI ENHANCED EARLY HEAD START.

Users should be aware that the Working toward Wellness sixth, eighteenth, and thirty-sixth month reports include data from surveys administered to parents and children; however, this collection contains data from only adult respondents due to data sharing restrictions.

For additional information on the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project: Rhode Island, Working toward Wellness, please visit the
MDRC Web site.

Methodology

Study Design:
For more information on study design, users should refer to the Original P.I. Documentation in the ICPSR Codebook, as well as visit the
MDRC Web site.

Sample:
The sample includes 499 individuals randomly assigned with 245 members in the program group and 254 in the control group. For more information about sampling, users should refer to the Original P.I. Documentation in the ICPSR Codebook, as well as visit the
MDRC Web site.

Time Method:
Longitudinal: Panel

Mode of Data Collection:
telephone interview

Response Rates:
All 499 sample members completed the baseline survey at random assignment. Six month follow-up survey - 370 participants, for a 74 percent response rate (76 percent of the program group and 72 percent of the control group). Eighteen-month follow-up survey - 428 participants, for a 86 percent response rate (86 percent of the program group and 85 percent of the control group). Thirty-six month follow-up survey - 429 participants, for a 86 percent response rate (89 percent of the program group and 83 percent of the control group). Care managers made contact with 230 participants in the program group, for a 93 percent response rate.

Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of
disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major
statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to
these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: